selection of tapes from the Oʻahu portion of the Hoʻomana collection screened at Arts & Letters, Nuʻuanu on July 28, 2023

Hoʻomau Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina’s first archiving project was to catalog and digitize transcripts and tapes from the Hoʻomana collection, depicting Kānaka systems of land use and resource management across six of the major Hawaiian Islands—Oʻahu, Lāna‘i, Maui, Molokaʻi, Hawai‘i, and Kaua‘i. Over the course of two years (1989-1990) Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina, with producer Nālani Minton, gathered oral histories focusing on Hawaiian aquaculture/agriculture practices. By the end of their journey, Joan Lander and Puhipau had recorded over 86 hours of footage. Eventually, this invaluable content was edited down to a 90-minute documentary program called Ahupuaʻa, Fishponds and Loʻi (1992).

To honor the fundamental knowledge and practices contained within the Hoʻomana collection, Hoʻomau Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina has organized the first in an ongoing exhibition and screening series presenting unseen video and transcripts recorded over 30 years ago. Ahupuaʻa, Fishponds and Loʻi: Oʻahu features kūpuna, kupaʻāina, and makaʻāinana speaking about loʻi kalo, loko iʻa, and storied places in various ahupuaʻa on the island of Oʻahu. Through their individual and collective stories we come to understand more fully, the backbone of mālama ʻāina and aloha ʻāina today.